This Is Not Love
by Goodwind
Summary: Uchiha Itachi and Uzumaki Naruto on the meaning of the word and how to use it. this is not love because we are not in love


**Title:** This Is Not Love  
**Pairing: **ItaNaru, slight SasuNaru  
**Warning:** Canon-verse. Kind of.  
**Notes: **Written for Onirei and StupifiedNaruto.  
**Summary:** Uchiha Itachi and Uzumaki Naruto on the meaning of the word and how to use it. [this is not love because we are not in love]

* * *

---------------Kiss-------------------

The first time they kiss is an act of desperation. They are both injured, too much so to fend off the oncoming forces, and ANBU are coming from everywhere (Naruto swears that every damn village decided to work together to come after them at once).

Itachi is the one who thinks of something first and pulls Naruto against a wall, hissing at him to mask his chakra, now, and unties his own hair, takes off his cloak, and hands them to Naruto.

He then proceeds to deactivate his Sharingan and lean down just slightly (because Naruto still isn't quite his height, he's almost there, though) to touch his lips to the blond's. After the initial shock wore off Naruto responded in kind and tongues were entered into the game.

So engrossed were they (read: so engrossed was Naruto) that they didn't notice the ANBU go past them (though, really, Itachi did, he just didn't act like it. Naruto figured it must've been one of those genius things).

Itachi pulled back as soon as he checked the surrounding area and determined that there were no threatening chakras. He then waited for everything to click in Naruto's mind…. and waited… and waited. It was Naruto's first (real) kiss, really, his mind had kind of stop processing after Itachi ceased giving him mouth-to-mouth and started demanding that he respond… with his tongue.

When it finally clicked Naruto thought that those people shouldn't have been in the ANBU because really, even with his hair down and cloak off and Naruto's hair covered by Itachi's they still stood out.

-------------Jealousy----------------

Sometimes, and only sometimes, Naruto gets a twinge when a group of girls surrounds Itachi (and the hair is shorter and the face is smirking, then he blinks) and he wonders what it is.

Every now and then Itachi will catch Naruto staring at a picture with a wistful expression on his face and he gets irritated (the past has no place in the present and yes, he does realize that it is ironic that both he and Naruto share the same piece of different pasts).

Itachi has never had a problem with the way he looks, in fact, it'd be more correct to say that he didn't care about it. However, this changed rather quickly when a drained Naruto mistook him for his brother, despite the obvious differences and he was left with a need to prove that he was someone else (though he thought he'd done that already).

Naruto has always wanted to be acknowledged, always, because he never was when he was younger. Before it was by everyone but then it centered around one person and when that person finally (finally, finally, don'tgopleasedon'tgo) acknowledged him they left. He was acknowledged once more by the person that they hated and found that he did not want that person to see anyone else.

-------------------Fool---------------------

Naruto knows that Itachi thinks him a fool for joining an organization that wants to kill him for his younger brother. I can save him, I will. After all, Naruto figures, Akatsuki is more likely to come across Orochimaru than Konoha is. Besides, like this no one else should get hurt (except for him, but that doesn't really matter).

Itachi thinks that Naruto is the stupidest person he's ever met, loud mouth and dead last titles aside, simply because a ninja who is suicidal has no place in the world. Well, all ninjas are suicidal but he thinks that Naruto takes it to a new level. (and no, Naruto-kun, you may not kill yourself. You are useless if you do so.)

It was, despite what most Akatsuki members think, Naruto's idea to join, not Itachi's. And it was Itachi who stared at Naruto with as close as he could get to incredulous without changing his facial expression.

It was Naruto who smiled without smiling and scratched the back of his head, a habit that Itachi knew he had developed as part of a defense mechanism. However, it was Itachi who came up with the plan, the way to get him away from Jiriaya without the older man knowing that Naruto had wanted to go.

It was Itachi who kissed him and ravished him and called him a fool (not dobe, fool) and he didn't mind, didn't mind at all. And it was Naruto's idea in the first place (I am not stupid, Itachi, stop that, I know what it means, I just can't remember.)

-------------------Sex-------------------

When they have sex, they kiss. Itachi would be lying if he said that he didn't like it. Itachi doesn't lie so he doesn't say.

He hadn't wanted to at first but Naruto (damn it, Itachi. I like kissing so if we're gonna do this then we're damn well gonna kiss.) had insisted otherwise. Naruto had learned quickly and Itachi had stopped (inwardly) complaining.

They have sex; they don't fuck, because what they do is just a tad too gentle to be fucking. Itachi doesn't mind because he knows that if he wants he could just tie Naruto to the bed and fuck him. He does sometimes and Naruto is kicking and screaming and he moves and then he's kissing and pulling.

The first time they have sex Itachi leaves. Naruto sleeps on none-the-wiser, he didn't care anyway. The fifth time they sleep together Itachi hesitates, staring down at Naruto's sleeping form, before leaving. Naruto curls into himself at the loss of warmth.

The tenth time they sleep together Itachi brings a book and sits in bed reading while Naruto lays on his stomach and plays with the ends of his hair. When Naruto falls asleep Itachi leaves. Naruto's hand grasps his pants, eyes blinking sleepily at him before letting go and falling back into the mattress.

The twentieth time they fuck (this time, they fucked) Naruto is bloody and (it won't stop, damn it Itachi, don't be so fucking rough next time, at least fucking use lube) exhausted and Itachi is angry and annoyed and he stays, wrapped in Naruto, covered in blood and semen, and he stays. Naruto, exhausted and broken and maybekindaalittlebit grateful, kisses his lips then his stomach and falls asleep, hands wrapped around his arm, fingers rising on Itachi's chest as he breathes.

-------------------Comrades--------------------

All members of the Akatsuki are instructed to look after each other. They are then separated into teams with the strict orders of; you must not kill your partner. Ever. Understood? Followed by a chorus of various meaning of the word yes from 'un' by Deidara to 'Hn' by Itachi to the loud 'Alright, alright' by Naruto amongst others.

Itachi abides by the rules, even at Naruto's stupidest moments, and beats him into the ground instead of slitting his throat.

It's not an issue for Naruto. After all, Itachi is just an older (harsher) version of Sasuke. And he's so used to Sasuke that he can deal with Itachi (and a lump rises in his throat and he chokes it down).

They are fighting now, with hunter-nins (and he's so tired of this), and Itachi has downed ten of them by himself but he's stuck with the strongest one and he's got more wounds than he can count. Itachi frowns when he reaches his side, after he's ripped out the guy's innards, and reaches out before stopping himself. His sharingan spins and then Naruto is being pulled behind him and he's deflecting kunai but he misses some and Naruto is just too shocked to move, remembering (bitterly, sadly, with no little frustration) when he was in the same position with the younger one.

He knows Itachi's answer to his question before he asks is but he says it anyways, 'why' he asks. Itachi answers, 'it was orders.' Naruto thinks he might be crying, he doesn't really know, all he knows is that he'd care a little more if Itachi was the one on the ground. He'd care a little more than if it were Sasuke or Deidara or Kakashi and he patches Itachi's wounds while Itachi does the same to his.

-------------------------Love-----------------------

Naruto doesn't love Itachi (he doesn't think so, at least). And even if he did he'd be worried that it wasn't Itachi that he was seeing (so he doesn't say it.).

Itachi does not love Naruto. It is not a question in his mind. Itachi owns Naruto, be it that his heart is included then his heart is included, however it would be a welcome extra.

Naruto decides that he does not, in fact, love Itachi. (He nurses a wound from a training match that got out of hand and he ended up on the ground, in desperate need of a bath) he freaking hates him. Ita-teme, his new (unpleasant) nickname, is ten times worse than Sasuke ever was (his mind provides that he should love him ten times more in response, to which the other part of his mind replies that you cannot love someone more if you do not love them in the first place).

Naruto does not love Itachi, he is owned by him. There is a difference, Naruto knows this, he just wishes that he could figure out what it was.

* * *

Written near two years ago. I know that, at the time, I had felt it incomplete but reading it now I don't understand what I thought was missing. Not one of my best works, but oh well. Naturally, canon rendered this so, so void but you know what? Screw canon. XD

Thank you for reading and I apologize for my horrible writing of Itachi's character. XD


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